Google Penalizing .GB.COM Domains?

There is a really long thread at Google Webmaster Help on the topic of the .GB.COM TLD. Some are of the belief that Google is penalizing or banning these domains.

Of course, to you and me, that sounds ridiculous. There are thousands of .gb.com domains indexed in Google. But these webmasters are complaining that they are not ranking well.

One said:

I have tested over 100 gb.com domains I found in the DMOZ directory (one of the webs oldest directories), and could not find a single one on the first page of Google for EVEN their own company names. EVEN their own domain name, so I can assure you I know what I am talking about. Here are an example of some .gb.com domains in DMOZ: http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search=gb.com

Pick any one you find at random.

The thread is pretty heated right now. No Google response has been made as of yet. Of course, when it comes to topics like this, you have to be very skeptical.